Even though its publishing date is only moving farther and farther into history, “Where the Wild Things Are” is still undeniably a classic in the world of children’s books. And the Denver Art Museum (DAM) is showing an exhibit on this piece and the author, Maurice Sendak’s other works until Feb. 17. “Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak” is well worth the visit.

Hopefully, you’ve read the classic piece; it captures youthful imagination (before iPads) and takes on the perspective of a stubborn, mischievous yet charismatic and brave young boy named Max as he travels to a faraway land and meets mystical furry creatures. In my mind, this and Sendak’s other work belongs in the same Hall of Fame occupied by Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein, among others.

The exhibit is formatted into chapters, exploring Sendak’s life chronologically as he established himself in the world of art, and in particular, children’s book illustration. He found a passion for art by sketching family members and scenes in his Brooklyn neighborhood, and even making small wooden toys with his brother.

He found his footing with a friend, author Ruth Krauss. They made a killer team, publishing eight books together, with Krauss’s words and Sendak’s pictures leading to books like “A Hole is to Dig,” “A Very Special House,” and “Open House for Butterflies.”

Later, just before he got his biggest breakthrough with “Wild Things,” he created a character quite special to him, a girl named Rosie, based on the children he saw in his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Sendak loved Rosie as a character so much that she became the star of many of his books, an animation cartoon, and even a musical. Carole King wrote a song based on his other book “Chicken Soup with Rice” that will be stuck in your head for days after the exhibit, because it played on loop with Sendak’s beautiful animations.

These ‘chapters’ of the exhibit are so well done because of the visuals. While you can view the picture books on display, the walls are peppered with Sendak quotes and his most famous illustrations, from the charming boy from “A Hole is to Dig” to a massive mural of Rosie as an astronaut. The whole place has a natural feeling of nostalgia and childhood, especially when you get to its primary attraction.

The main spectacle is obviously the portion devoted to “Where the Wild Things Are” – not only can viewers re-read the book in its entirety, they can see just how famous it became in a beautiful display of the masterpiece in over 15 separate world languages, some of which you can sit down to read – I chose to check out the French and Dutch versions.

I was struck by how little I realized this book had an impact on the world outside of my child self. I remembered that they made a movie based on the book, but I didn’t realize there was a musical too, or that it had been translated to cater to children all over the world in their own languages.

This part of the exhibit was truly special because you realize how many people there were, like you, who grew up on “Where the Wild Things Are” and the imaginative world it presents – even those who speak in different tongues and live thousands of miles away.

The exploration of Sendak’s life after the publishing of Wild Things is also well done; it explores themes of grief he used in “Higglety Pigglety Pop,” where he mourned his beloved dog. We even see the LGBTQ+ themes he used in one of his later books, “We Are All in the Dumps With Jack and Guy.”

While we often focus on an artists’ most famous works, the “Wild Things” exhibit makes us realize how valuable the process of discovering your artistic style and creating until you find your breakthrough really is. While we will all remember Sendak most for Max and his “wild rumpus,” his entire life was the path that led to that classic.

Even if you didn’t read “Where the Wild Things Are” as a child – which would be greatly unfortunate – you can find inspiration from Sendak and his life. Because as you watch as the little Jewish boy from Brooklyn went from building tiny wooden “Little Red Riding Hood” toys to international children’s favorites, you will see the importance of creation, self-discovery, and art at a high school age and before.

Make sure to head down to 14th Ave before the exhibit closes – “Wild Things” might be a more valuable experience than you think it is.